<p>Tourism had come to a virtual standstill after Prime Minister's arrival in this summer capital yesterday with the famous Bolevard road along the Dal Lake - star attraction for tourists visiting the valley - coming under a virtual siege.<br /><br />What further aggravated the problem was the decision of the state government to block mobile phones in view of the heightened threat level issued by the Army.<br />"It seemed we lived in a stone age. Life without mobile phone was very suffocating," says Parag Patel, who was confined to his room along with his family at a hotel in Dalgate near the lake on Monday.<br /><br />Immediately, as the Prime Minister's departure from the valley was flashed on the wireless sets, all barricades were removed and heavily armoured vehicles dotting Bolevard road moved back to their places.<br /><br />"We earned nothing yesterday and already half-a-day has been lost today. Now we hope to recover," says Mohammed Firdous, a shikara wala as he gears himself to get a customer. Hotelowners located near the venue of the PM's programme had tough time making tourists understand restrictions due to heightened security and even travel agents had to face wrath of tourists.<br /><br />However, tourists mainly from Gujarat and West Bengal were eager to make maximum out of the time lost. "We cannot be holding anyone responsible for the same as these are unavoidable circumstances in which none can be held responsible," says P K Dass, a tourist from West Bengal as he prepares to leave for Mughal Gardens.<br />The mobile service was the first to be restored by the authorities late last night, which came as a big relief for the public in general and tourists in particular.<br /><br />Almost all the mobile service providers including Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited had blocked the cellular service at around 11.30 AM yesterday, 15 minutes prior to the arrival of the Prime Minister here.<br /><br />"In addition to communication, mobile phones can be used as devices to trigger explosions also. So, we blocked the service (for security reasons)," General Manager BSNL, Mahesh Shukla had said.<br /><br />But, some tourists were not so lucky as they had to rush to the airport to take return flight due to end of their tour programme.</p>
<p>Tourism had come to a virtual standstill after Prime Minister's arrival in this summer capital yesterday with the famous Bolevard road along the Dal Lake - star attraction for tourists visiting the valley - coming under a virtual siege.<br /><br />What further aggravated the problem was the decision of the state government to block mobile phones in view of the heightened threat level issued by the Army.<br />"It seemed we lived in a stone age. Life without mobile phone was very suffocating," says Parag Patel, who was confined to his room along with his family at a hotel in Dalgate near the lake on Monday.<br /><br />Immediately, as the Prime Minister's departure from the valley was flashed on the wireless sets, all barricades were removed and heavily armoured vehicles dotting Bolevard road moved back to their places.<br /><br />"We earned nothing yesterday and already half-a-day has been lost today. Now we hope to recover," says Mohammed Firdous, a shikara wala as he gears himself to get a customer. Hotelowners located near the venue of the PM's programme had tough time making tourists understand restrictions due to heightened security and even travel agents had to face wrath of tourists.<br /><br />However, tourists mainly from Gujarat and West Bengal were eager to make maximum out of the time lost. "We cannot be holding anyone responsible for the same as these are unavoidable circumstances in which none can be held responsible," says P K Dass, a tourist from West Bengal as he prepares to leave for Mughal Gardens.<br />The mobile service was the first to be restored by the authorities late last night, which came as a big relief for the public in general and tourists in particular.<br /><br />Almost all the mobile service providers including Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited had blocked the cellular service at around 11.30 AM yesterday, 15 minutes prior to the arrival of the Prime Minister here.<br /><br />"In addition to communication, mobile phones can be used as devices to trigger explosions also. So, we blocked the service (for security reasons)," General Manager BSNL, Mahesh Shukla had said.<br /><br />But, some tourists were not so lucky as they had to rush to the airport to take return flight due to end of their tour programme.</p>
